Posted on 04/11/2005 11:25:39 PM PDT by tlchristensen
The Future of the Papacy
As the cardinals in Rome sit in deliberation to determine who will be the next Pope, critics have expressed doubt that the Catholic Church will be able to remain a relevant institution. If these critics doubt the future of the Church it must be because they consider it at the present time to be a failing institution. As the head of this institution, they must also consider the office of the Pope to be a hoary relic from the past, an anachronism that has no influence and is of no importance in the modern World.
Detractors of the Pope could not have more underestimated his importance. In the death of Pope John Paul II we have seen even more than we did when he was alive in just how much esteem he was held and how much importance was attributed to Papal approval. The Pope was a man whose opinion was so highly valued that even his bitterest detractors sought out his blessing.
Is the Pope irrelevant within the Catholic Church, too old-fashioned to effectively deal with a changing World? While some liberal Catholics have wanted the Pope to change his stance on some issues it should be noted that in this changing World there has been no mass exodus from the Church. On the contrary, the Church has grown during the reign of Pope John Paul II. Rather than rebel or leave the Church, those who disagreed with the Pope plead their case rather than disregrard his judgement. Other sectors of the Catholic Church have considered the Pope to be their anchor and rock during troubled times, a defender of the faith whose conservative outlook is the very thing which has kept their Church from slipping into irrelevancy.
Outside of the Church there were many who recognized that the Pope was more than just a spiritual leader. He was a man of principle and a determined leader, and all over the World he was held in great respect by heads of state. Again we see that liberals and conservatives had different views about wha the Pope should have done, but even in disagreement there was respect. Even though the Pope had opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, conservative U.S. President George W. Bush praised the Pope during a public statement, saying, "I think John Paul II will have a clear legacy of peace, compassion and a strong legacy of setting a clear moral tone," Liberal former U.S. President Bill Clinton also had praise for the Pope, but said that he was leaving behind him a "mixed legacy." This "mixed legacy" can only refer to what some liberals consider to be the Pope's failure in standing up for what they call "social justice," in effect the right to abortion and the religious acceptance of homosexuality. Never mind that the Catholic Church has a centuries-old tradition of being the World leader in social services in ministering to the sick and the poor, some liberals want the Church to champion "social justice." This speaks of the great respect in which the Pope was held, for his Word is not law in any country. Advocates of "social justice" did not need his approval, but he was held in such esteem that his approval was sought out nonetheless.
Former President of Iran Hashemi Rafsanjani said that while the Pope's opposition to the war in Iraq was valuable, it was not strong enough to discredit the U.S. Former President of Poland and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said that " Without him there would be no end of communism, or at least it would have come much later and the end would have been bloody." Shimon Peres of Israel said of the Pope that " his actions and statements transformed relations between the Catholic and Jewish faiths, and made a fundamental impact on the struggle against anti-semitism."
Perhaps most touching was what was said by President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia. "To the departed Holy Father, I say we believe that it is not your wish to mourn you in our grief but to celebrate the achievements you humbly made to realize and emulate your life. But if you see tears rolling in our eyes, it is because we cannot bear saying farewell dear Father."
We see in Pope John Paul II and in the Catholic Church a man and an institution from which people expected miraculous things. As the leader of the Church the Pope was expected to minister to the World, be a champion for peace and social causes, and even his detractors desired his approval. As 4 million people stood in wait to view the Pope for one last time, it is unbelievable that anyone could say that the Church is on it's way toward becoming irrelevant.
Do you have a link for this?
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I don't think the Church will commit suicide by adopting the "liberal wish list." I expect the new Pope to stand firm on moral issues and traditional Catholic teaching; the libs can go suck eggs.
Silly article. And I am certain that the author(s) must be some sort of liberal weenie based on either the US or Western Europe.
If the author(s) was/were to be more objective, they would realize that most Catholics are in the Developing world. That they are by far conservative, and want the Catholic church to remain conservative.
The author(s) would also realize that in West Catholicism has been facing a huge decline, while the inverse has been occuring in the developing world.
The Catholic church is an extremely relevant institution. This might not be the case in Massachusetts (where John Kerry is quite adept at giving lip service), and it might not be the case in France and most of W.Europe (where Catholicism is as good as dead in all but name and buildings), but in the developing world it is exceedingly relevant. And that is where most of the world's Catholics are. And that is where virtually all of the growth is occuring.
Just because the author(s) does not feel that the Catholic church is relevant does not mean it is not. It just shows that the author is quite myopic.
And no ....I am not Catholic. I'm just fed up with people (like this author, and the nameless 'critics' he uses to base him claims on) writing hit pieces that are just so skewed it is ludicrous. Now let me go to bed before i am ensnared by another thread (FR should be classified as a drug).
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